Stop Going Through the Motions

by Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music

“Stop Going Through the Motions!”, something that I heard screamed across the football field as a kid. This refers to anyone on the football field that was not giving their all or was not in the moment. Instead, we were jogging when should’ve been sprinting or daydreaming instead of paying attention to the play on the field.

Not only does this apply in sports, but it also applies in music lessons. I often find myself saying this to students when mistakes are not getting fixed, assignments are taking way too long to complete, or knowledge is not being retained. The student says they are practicing (and I believe them), but when pressed, I find the quality of practicing is lacking.

Instead of following directions from their teacher or the method book they are using, they breeze through assignments, making the same mistakes week after week. Instead of listening, they make obvious mistakes which if they were paying attention, could be easily fixed.

Parents may find themselves confused by lack of progress because they may hear their student practicing. However, if they are not engaged in lessons with their child, they will not know what they should be hearing or what the student should be practicing. Just because a student is playing at home does not mean they are practicing at home.

Going through the motions is a bad habit that needs to be addressed and broken ASAP. The following is a list of way students and teachers can break this cycle.

1. Goals- Before sitting down plan out a goal for that practice session. Most likely your teacher has already told you what needs to be focused on. This may be a certain section of a song or a technical exercise that needs to be addressed. But do not meander aimlessly through assignments or just play through them once and call it a day. This is not practice and counterproductive as you’re likely reenforcing mistakes and bad habits.
2. Time – Set a timer and use the time. Setting a timer also helps to track progress or lack thereof. When I grill a student about practice habits and time practicing, they often are not aware of how much time they practice. Most of the time it is not nearly enough to be adequate.
3. Listen to your teacher and follow their instructions– Probably the simplest thing a student can do is to follow instructions. Hopefully your teacher is writing out weekly assignments clearly. If they do, pay attention to them. This is the biggest time waster I find when students are struggling. If your teacher forgets to write out an assignment or it is unclear, email them. Do not spend an entire week doing your assignment incorrectly when all it takes is a simple email. Most teachers are happy to clarify things for students.
4. Be your own problem solver- I give all my students the tools needed to problem solve during the week. Writing in fingerings, looking up recordings, recording your practice session are ways to start working on problems on your own. Rather than waiting for your teacher to do it for you, take the initiative! This will eventually allow you to be self-reliant.
5. Parents need to be involved- Parents need to pay attention so that their child does not develop this bad habit of just going through the motions. Just because you hear playing does not mean your student is practicing what they should be, or practicing it correctly. Check in with your teacher to see how lessons are going and what/how your student should be practicing. Sit with your child when they are practicing and look at their assignment sheet to get them off to a good start each week. Then check back in at the end of their practice week to gauge progress, provide encouragement and support correction.

Try 1 or more of these for a few weeks and you will see a BIG difference in your results!! Then add in a few more!! Solid preparation = confidence and confidence = beautiful music making!